Paint the Erbprinz Regiment

The following article was written during the late summer of 2007, but I'm not sure that I ever submitted it anywhere. So, iteems like a good idea to share it here now.

Paint the Erbprinz Regiment in a Month!

A 10-Step Plan for Painting
Those BIG Units to Completion in No Time

By Stokes Schwartz

If you’re like
me, you’ve spent many years gazing at photos of massive wargame units by
masters like Peter Gilder, Charles Grant (father and son), and Peter
Young. And after pouring through your
copy of Charge! for the umpteenth
time, you’ve no doubt thought, “I wish I had units the size of the Erbprinz
Regiment in my army.” Right? Then, you come to your senses with the
wistful realization that it would just take too long to paint one 60+ figure
battalion, much less an army of several units like it.

However, it IS
possible to paint and finish large units within a reasonable amount of time. The process described below will enable you to
paint Brigadier Young’s fabled unit of grenadiers – or apply the same basic
principles to any large body of troops – in just a few short weeks.

But first, a
brief word about figures. Not all ranges
are suitable for rapid painting to a reasonable standard. Many others are just right for this kind of
project though. Miniatures without an
overabundance of detail (extra straps, buckles, buttons, equipment, deep folds,
etc) work best, for example MiniFigs, Spencer Smith, or RSM95. In fact, the RSM figures, which I used, are
almost dead ringers for the more expensive and slightly larger Stadden/Tradition
figures used by the Brigadier. But the
choice is, of course, up to you as each gamer will have his (or her) particular
favorites in mind. Ok, let’s talk
painting!

Step 1

Basecoat the Entire 60+ Figure Unit

After you have
removed the mold lines from your figures, attach them to temporary bases and
basecoat with white artists’ acrylic gesso.
You’ll be pleased with the results.
Normally, gesso is used by artists to pre-treat canvases and other
surfaces before painting. But it’s also ideal
for figure painters. Gesso goes on fast,
dries quickly without obscuring figure detail, remains flexible, and provides
great “tooth” to which the colours can adhere.

Step 2

Undercoat the Whole Regiment with Black

Some among you might
sneer, but let me explain. Many of us like
the look of careful black lining, which highlights the details on figures and
gives a very smart appearance. Unless
you have rock-steady hands though, the black lining technique is frustrating
and time consuming.

On the other
hand, if you undercoat in black, and then carefully apply your main colours
over it, you accomplish two things.
First, you don’t have to worry about painting the properly black areas
later, for example hats, shoes, gaiters, or cartridge pouches. Second, by carefully leaving thin black lines
between each colour, you can more easily approximate the black lining technique
with convincing results.

Worried that a black
undercoat might dull the brilliance of those yellows, reds, and light blues? Damp brush white onto the areas of figures
earmarked for those translucent colours.
It is worth noting, however, that the coverage provided by Games
Workshop paints makes this particular concern a non-issue.

Step 3

Green bases, faces, hands, mustaches,
wigs, and pompoms:

Divide your Erbprinz
regiment into three company-sized batches, painting each to completion before
starting the next. Begin with the areas
listed above

because they are
easier to do early, before painting fatigue sets in. Use a #3 brush with a good point for the
bases, taking care not to obscure the black shoes of the figures. Paint the hands, faces, wigs, and mustaches
next, using a #1 brush. This makes your
figures look human quickly, firing your enthusiasm to continue. Paint the pompoms on the mitre caps too,
providing a distinct company identity for each group of figures.

Step 4

White gaiters and red areas:

You’ll find that
“dressing” figures from the ground up works best. So after handling the above details complete
the white gaiters with a #3 brush, colour the red areas (breeches, vests, facings,
turnbacks, drum hoops, counter epaulettes, mitre caps), using a #1 brush and a
001 spotter. This part of the process
will be tedious and repetitive, so it’s best to spread it over 2-3 evenings, keeping
the work from becoming a drudge. Be
careful applying the red paint, so you don’t spoil previous work! Remember to leave thin black lines showing
between the different colours too.

Step 5

Light blue coats:

By now, you’ll
be seeing red! So, let’s take a break and
work on something easier. Here, you’ll
be able to use a slightly larger #3 brush and relax your concentration just a
bit. Nevertheless, paint carefully around
those red-coloured areas, ensuring that a fine black line is left between the
red and blue, plus arms and torsos. This
step takes a single 2-3 hour session with a quick break or two thrown in.

Here’s where it
gets a bit dull again. But once you’ve
completed this step, your figures will look almost finished. Use a #1 brush, taking care to keep your white
paint fairly thin with an occasional tiny bit of water, and rinse your brush
tip often. This helps prevent the
clumping which plagues acrylic-based whites.
An easy way to avoid the problem is by applying 2-3 washes of colour
rather than a single application. It’s
time consuming, but the results are much better than with a single grainy, coarse
coat. Use your 001 spotter for small
details like drum cords. This particular
step will probably take a couple of sessions.

You’re in the
final turn now, so reward yourself with some easier work. These details are straightforward to paint
because they don’t require a great deal of intense concentration. After all, you’re really just painting
straight lines without any odd angles or curves. The officers’ gorgets are an exception, but
these can be coloured with a quick dab or two of the brush; use a #2 here. It holds enough paint, but is small enough to
avoid obscuring your earlier work.

Another fairly
simple step. Just take care to leave
fine lines of black showing between colors.
This method is particularly effective with items like brass drum shells
and the fronts of grenadier mitre caps.
Use your #1 brush or 001 spotter to paint in a variety of silver wiggles,
squiggles, dots, and dashes on the latter.
This old artists’ trick fools the eye into seeing detail that’s not
really there. And the front plates of your Erbprinz mitre caps will look like
embossed metal. You’ll be surprised at
how easily you can achieve pleasing results.

Step 9

Black garters, gaiter buttons, yellow
lace, final touch-ups:

Now, you’re in
the home stretch. All you need to do now
is carefully paint those black garters and buttons on the white gaiters, using
your 001 spotter. Here’s where you’ll
also want to examine each figure carefully and make any necessary touch-ups to
your work. Take your time. You’re just
about there.

Step 10

Apply a clear, protective coat to
preserve your work:

You’re
approaching the finish line, so take a well-deserved break away from the
painting table for an evening or two. Read,
go out, spend time with your family, take a walk, etc. Remember, it’s important not to get too
caught up in your hobby at the expense of real life. But if your wife is away on a two-month research
trip in Berlin,
like mine was recently, that’s a different story!

After a few
evenings, come back and give your figures a protective coat of clear varnish. I like Future acrylic floor polish. It’s cheap, readily available, you get a whole
bottle of it, and it imparts a nice, shiny “old school” finish to your
figures. Plus, you’ll love the fresh,
clean scent! If that’s not quite to your
taste, a shot or two of Testor’s Dull Cote restores a matte finish to your
figures.

Repeat this
process twice more and. . . Congratulations! You have just finished painting your own version
of the Erbprinz Regiment***. And all in
just about one month. The Brigadier
would approve!

Don’t Forget These Important Tips!

Modify this process to suit your
needs, depending on the unit of figures you are painting. What’s most important here is that you
establish an organized method and routine.
Regular, methodical work gets things done much faster than haphazard
painting. You’ll be amazed at how
much you can do when you simply get on with it.

Turn off the TV! Paint 2-3 hours per evening, 4-5
evenings per week. If you adopt
this process, you’ll find that you can still get those big units of 48-60+
figures done in about 5-6 weeks time without becoming a hermit. Wives,
girlfriends, and partners will appreciate this.

Use decent brushes. I’ve completed my work here using synthetic
brushes, but watch the points! When
they deteriorate, retire them and buy new ones.

Do your best to paint well, but
don’t obsess about turning each soldier into an individual work of art –
you’ll lose momentum. Instead, paint
what you can observe from three feet away.
Block in your main colours and leave it at that. Your production will increase markedly.

Another time-saving device? Have everything you need (paints, brushes,
figures, etc) set up permanently somewhere if possible.

Paint regimental staff (flag bearers,
mounted colonels, RSMs, etc.) along with your first company-sized batch of
figures. That helps break the back
of the project. It’s always a
little discouraging to finish a BIG unit, only to realize that you’ve
still got 4-6 figures to finish before you’re done.

Windsor Newton silver artists oil
colour (the best silver out there and dries in 2-3 days)

Cottman (Winsor&Newton)
synthetic bristle #3, #2, and #1 rounds

Loew-Cornell sable 001 spotter brush

Future acrylic floor polish

Copious amounts of strong Italian roast coffee with plenty
of cream and sugar.

Finally, I must
credit F. Patrick Burke for his articles on painting 15mm designer Napoleonic
armies, which appeared in the February and July 1989 issues of Wargames Illustrated. These have inspired my work ever since. If you can, find and read these articles. They present lots of interesting ideas. Ok, let’s start seeing more of those BIG
units! Painters, take your marks!

***Known in my
army as the Leib (Grand Duchess Sonja’s)
Grenadiers, in honor of my wife, who gave me the figures for Christmas
2006.

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"Moin, moin en wellkomm na' Schtollen!"

Welcome to the fictitious land of shiny mid-18th century miniatures organized into LARGE units. I lay the blame for this madness squarely at the feet of hobby giants like Peter Gilder and Doug Mason, whose Napoleonics as seen in the hobby press of the times were a huge influence 35+ years ago. Much later, I stumbled upon Charge! Or How to Play War Games by Brigadier Peter Young and Colonel James Lawford. I was a certified goner by the time I purchased and read The War Game by Charles Grant, to see what all of the fuss was about, plus numerous more recent books and articles by one Brigadier (Ret.) C.S. Grant. Have a look around, leave a comment or two, and explore the blog thoroughly. You're sure to find all kinds of interesting and whimsical stuff here at the Grand Duchy of Stollen!